Humane society builds new animal shelter

Special to the Bulverde News :
April 3, 2013

With help from volunteers, grants and the community, the Bulverde Area Humane Society's (BAHS) completed construction of a new animal shelter that will act as a no-kill waystation for feral cats recovering from spaying or neutering and pregnant or nursing canine mothers and their puppies.

“Erecting the 30-foot by 40-foot insulated metal structure and getting it into operation was a group effort,” said Lynda Binkley, BAHS vice-president and cofounder.

Binkley said other segments of the BAHS community drew together to cover the rest.

“A volunteer at the shelter paid for the plumbing; other members of the board of directors dug the trench and ran the drain to the septic system,” she said. “Local contractor Bruce Hemmen erected the wood frame at cost as did Bulverde Heating and Air Conditioning.”

“We believe this is the best puppy nursery and cat-recovery building we could build,” said Binkley. “This will help prevent the spread of disease, which will allow us to save even more animals.

“We can get more puppies into homes and help be part of the solution to the problem of feral cats in Comal County, Bexar County and the Blanco area.”

Binkley said listening to volunteers proudly describe the new building is akin to hearing someone boast about a new addition to their family.

“To me, the building is absolutely gorgeous,” said one volunteer. “It represents all the good we can do, and that's really exciting.”

In the past 12 months, 389 dogs and cats were adopted from the Bulverde Area Humane Society, Binkley said.

Petco is a leading pet specialty retailer and operates more than 1,200 stores nationwide.

The Petco Foundation, an independent nonprofit organization, has raised more than $111 million since it was created in 1999 to promote and improve the welfare of companion animals.